Trump envoy Kushner arrives in Israel after rare Hamas talks on Gaza peace planUS President Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner is expected to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later on Monday.14 mins agoMiddle East
Trump envoy Kushner arrives in Israel after rare Hamas talks on Gaza peace plan9 minutes agoYolande Knell,Middle East correspondent, JerusalemandHelen SullivanReutersA Palestinian woman in Khan Younis, in southern Gaza, August 16, 2026. Local medics said several people living in a tent camp in Khan Younis were injured in Israeli strike.US President Donald Trump's Middle East…
US President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy Jared Kushner has arrived in Israel, where he is expected to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday.
It comes after Kushner held rare talks with Hamas to discuss the implementation of the US-backed Gaza peace plan.
Last month, Trump’s Board of Peace said it had reached agreement for the “complete disarmament” of Hamas and other armed groups in Gaza. Last week, Israel rejected Trump’s 15-point plan. It also calls for Israeli troops to withdraw and for Gaza to be rebuilt under a new civilian Palestinian administration.
Eight Muslim countries issued a statement on Sunday condemning Israel’s rejection.
Trump leads the Board of Peace. It was created as an international organisation originally intended to bring peace to Gaza, but later expanded to include conflicts worldwide.
A Palestinian official told the BBC Trump’s son-in-law met a delegation led by Hamas’s new leader Khalil al-Hayya in Egypt on Sunday.
In an official note, Hamas later called on mediators and the Board of Peace to “compel” Israel to approve the roadmap for the next steps.
But Netanyahu faces a tough October election to try to hold onto power, with a coalition that includes ministers in favour of taking a harsher line on Gaza.
Many Israelis are additionally sceptical that Hamas is ready to disarm.
Kushner’s meeting with Hayya is believed to be the first at this level since last year’s agreement of a ceasefire for the Gaza Strip.
Board of Peace envoys Nickolay Mladenov and UK ex-Prime Minister Tony Blair were reportedly also part of the gathering, alongside representatives of Egypt, Qatar and Turkey. It have mediated in the peace efforts.
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No official statement has been released of the negotiations, reportedly focusing on concrete actions to decommission Hamas’s weapons.
A source with knowledge of the meeting informed CBS News, the BBC’s US partner, that the meeting’s contents included “beginning to transfer all governing responsibilities to the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, ensuring Hamas has no future governing role in Gaza, facilitating Israeli withdrawals and deploying an international stabilising force to the region”.
While in Egypt, Kushner also met Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. According to Israeli media reports, Mladenov and Blair will also meet Netanyahu on Monday with the aim of advancing Trump’s plan.
The Israeli prime minister has said he wants a full Hamas disarmament first so as to implement the agreement.
“Israel rejects the Board of Peace’s 15-point document on Gaza. The IDF (Israel Defense Forces) will not carry out any withdrawal until Hamas is genuinely disarmed,” Netanyahu said last week, defying Israel’s closest ally.
What’s in the Gaza peace deal roadmap?
Netanyahu faces pressure within his own cabinet to continue operations in Gaza. Earlier this month, far-right Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir dismissed the draft as “not acceptable”.
In a podcast interview with Rom Braslavski. This person was taken hostage by Hamas during the 7 October attack, that aired on 15 August, Ben Gvir was asked about Israel reducing operations in Gaza and stated: “It’s no secret, I disagree with the prime minister,” according to the Associated Press.
He said he thought that “targeted assassinations” should be carried out, “taking down 30 to 40 every night. Not just those who pose an immediate threat – there are people there who are not worthy of life. They shouldn’t live. They’re not even people.” The comments were additionally reported in the Financial Times and Times of Israel.
Following Israel’s rejection of the 15-point plan, there appeared to be a pause in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza.
In a joint statement on Sunday, Egypt, UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Turkey, Pakistan and Indonesia said Israel’s rejection of the US plan threatened Trump’s efforts for peace.
The inclusion of the UAE is notable. The Gulf nation normalised relations with Israel five years ago.
The ceasefire. It came into effect on 10 October last year, remains in place.
However, the Israel Defense Forces have carried out near daily strikes since then.
More than 1,200 people have been killed since the ceasefire according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry, whose figures are considered reliable by the UN. Unicef says at least 300 children have reportedly been killed.
There was a lull in attacks – reportedly at the request of the US – even after Israel rejected the 15-point plan.
However, Israeli strikes have since resumed. The Israeli military said on Sunday that it had targeted Hamas and Islamic Jihad “terrorists” in Khan Younis and Nuseirat. Local medics said a number of people living in a tent camp in Khan Younis were injured.
Israel and Hamas accuse each other of ceasefire violations.
The war was triggered by the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 residents were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.
Israel responded to the attack by launching a military campaign in Gaza, during which more than 73,000 people have been killed, including 21,280 children, according to the territory’s health ministry, whose figures are considered reliable by the UN.
The UN estimates that about 1.9 million residents – 90% of Gaza’s population – have been displaced since the war started.
Netanyahu’s rejection of Trump’s 15-point Gaza plan unlikely to be final word
Who is on Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’ overseeing Gaza’s reconstruction?
Hamas names Khalil al-Hayya as new overall leader
Follow the twists and turns of Trump’s second term with North America correspondent Anthony Zurcher’s weekly US Politics Unspun newsletter. Readers in the UK can sign up here. Those outside the UK can sign up here.
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